(Newser)
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The Texas man who claimed his adopted 3-year-old daughter disappeared after he put her outside at 3am as punishment was arrested Monday, a day after a child's body was found. Police say Wesley Mathews was charged with felony injury to a child after visiting a police station with his attorney and giving them a different version of events, the Dallas Morning News reports. "He provided an alternate series of events from what he had previously given us," said police spokesman Kevin Perlich, who did not elaborate. Police say the body found in a culvert less than a mile from the Mathews home in the Dallas suburb of Richardson is "most likely" that of Sherin Mathews, though they are waiting for confirmation.

Mathews, who was out on bail on a charge of child endangerment, is being held on $1 million bond on the new charge, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, the AP reports. Police say more charges—and more arrests—are possible. Mathews has told police that Sherin, who was adopted from India last year, was on a special diet and was being punished for not drinking her milk. He did not report her missing for five hours and police are seeking surveillance footage of a vehicle they believe left the home between 4am and 5am on Oct. 7, the night the girl disappeared. Earlier Monday, Mathews and his wife went to a court hearing seeking to regain custody of their biological 4-year-old daughter, who was taken into protective custody after Sherin disappeared. (Read more missing child stories.)

As horrible and sad as this is remember that the vast majority of families adopting children do give them a better life. Seeing that beautiful girl's picture makes a great many of us wonder how anyone could be cruel to her. It appears the guy lost his temper to the point of forcing milk down her throat so viciously that it killed her if his latest version is true. And few if any of us will object to Texas justice hitting him with the full force of the law.

Leslie Mashmann

Oct 24, 2017 2:03 PM CDT

Killed one and tried to get the other child back - what freakin gall. That mother was no innocent bystander.

JadedPurple

Oct 24, 2017 12:53 PM CDT

Hell of a way to punish a toddler... and for what... not liking milk... I don't like it either. Poor baby girl. I hope he gets the death penalty too.